Sometimes It's Just The Battle Of Voices
by Aliada
Summary: Thorin tells himself not to care, but, to his increasing desperation, Bilbo manages to defeat that voice every time, and quite literally at that.


_**A/N: **__Basically, it's a dissection of the emotional aftermath of the troll scene, featuring a confused!Bilbo, excessively and sometimes inappropriately helpful Fili & Kili, and secretly or not-so-secrely!soft Thorin. _

Thorin Oakenshield was not, as a rule, an affectionate dwarf. Bilbo could certainly testify to that. Grim, bordering on scolding, glares, mysterious frownings with frankly offending glowres... he had been getting plenty of that. A whole merry package of goods, if he were to use a Shire term. Bilbo scowled internally at his own joke and resumed his increasingly unhappy pace.

With Fili and Kili laughing just behind him, "unhappy" wasn't meant to linger. Not for long, anyway. Soon enough, he found himself enjoying the surprisingly peaceful weather and forgetting all about Thorin's mood swings. Or at least that was what he told the brothers when they asked. It wasn't the most proper question to ask, and he let that be known by lifting his eyebrows just slightly and only succeeding in evoking a bursting laugh from Kili.

"Well, wasn't that worth a try?" Bilbo thought grimly, but politeness won out at the end.

"No, Kili, everything is alright, but thank you for asking."

Kili didn't seem placated in the slightest, if his look in Fili's direction was anything to go by.

Fili cleared his throat, and Bilbo felt a tingling sense of foreboding. A peaceful ride, indeed.

"Did you notice Thorin acting strange lately?" he asked, with the all too meaningful look in Kili's direction. Kili's eyes lit up, and the strange feeling in Bilbo's stomach intensified.

"Is he? No, I don't think I have. But what about you, Bilbo?"

Yes, what about him?

"No more than usual," he said, carefully. Fili and Kili released a maddeningly simultaneous and a very improper huff. What had they expected from him? No, he'd best not know.

Fili and Kili exchanged looks and although Bilbo should've anticipated that (with them being Fili and Kili) he still felt confused and very much on the edge of his long-suffering temper.

Fili gave him what could be dubbed a symphatethic grin (apparently, such kinds of grins did exist, after all) and proceeded to tell him a story, with occasional help from Kili who was seemingly unable to sit still from all the excitement. Bilbo did not share the sentiment, though. That is, until Fili reached the second part of the story and Bilbo felt his eyes involuntarily widen. A peaceful ride, indeed.

* * *

Thorin was not in the best of moods. Journey-wise, everything was surprisingly fine, as fine as it could be at the very least. The Company was fed, relatively well-rested and still in one piece. They also still had the ponies, despite Fili and Kili's best efforts to rid them of that privilege (for which they had sufficiently answered before). By all accounts, he should be satisfied. And yet, there was the matter of the burglar that denied him his peace. The actual burglar was quiet and unassuming enough to avoid bothering him needlessly, although he did tend to have periods of demonstrative openness that shifted something in Thorin's chest. He never indulged these thoughts, and after a few confusing moments, they just went away, replaced, in the majority of cases, by yet another fight or a quick, ridiculously spontaneous plotting directed at avoiding one. Gandalf was rather helpful with the latter, he had to admit that much, but doing so brought him no pleasure. All these maddening riddles the wizard was so fond of… Thorin frequently found himself wishing for clarity and getting none. Dealing with this sort of thing required a great deal of patience, and it wasn't a quality he excercised easily.

In fact, he had a shortage of that at this very moment, but the reason for his troubles was different. Thorin shook his head and threw a sideways glance in the direction of the hobbit who still seemed unsuitably unhappy. It had only been a small remark, and he should have been over it by now. Were the hobbits _that_ sensitive? The thought was a nice distraction, but in truth, Thorin couldn't bring himself to think about hobbits in general, not when his eyes travelled over Bilbo's hunched shoulders and a closed-off, miserable expression on his face. Could he be getting ill? That thought was even more discomforting, so Thorin turned away and busied himself with glaring at Balin who had an overly amused look in his eyes.

If the hobbit was indeed getting ill…

"Just go and talk to him. Ease his heart," Balin said, unexpectedly. But, in truth, knowing Balin, Thorin should have very much expected that.

"I've done nothing," Thorin replied, all too quickly and defensively for his own taste.

"Nothing you said was completely unfair, but there are also other ways to show your…"

"I've got nothing to show," Thorin cut off, before the last word was uttered. He didn't need to hear that. He was bothered enough as it was.

Balin accepted, or at least understood, his reluctance to speak and moved closer to Dwalin, giving Thorin a mild look he couldn't quite decipher. Thorin appreciated the gesture, although it did nothing to quiet the newly found voice in his head. Even more, it seemed to fuel it anew.

And that brought him to the main problem of the day, which started with the aftermath of the troll mishap. Naturally, Thorin was greatly relieved, as any other member of the Company, but his relief quickly turned to anger when the guilty parties were revealed.

And the fact that he'd found them joking and giggling did nothing to subdue that anger.

_"So, Master Baggins, now you're taking after my nephews in finding trouble? I can assure you they are fully proficient in that particular task as it is."_

_Fili and Kili's heads shot up straight away, their expressions predictably startled and contrite. Master Baggins wasn't far behind: he didn't quite jump but Thorin sensed that it was a close enough thing, and very deservingly so. However, it was the look in the hobbit's eyes that gave him a pause and a suddenly uncomfortable feeling._

_His nephews' eyes held a healthy dose of apprehension, but there also was a lingering trace of youthful exhilaration they couldn't quite erase, along with the underlying assurance of safety and the forlorn willingness to be chastised and then forgiven. It was common enough between them, and it brought them comfort. No matter how angry he had been, these rituals they shared never failed to soothe his most profound upset and set things right between them._

_Master Baggins seemed to be of a different opinion, though._

_"Excuse me, I offered whatever assistance I could. Alas, it wasn't perfect. Should I beg your forgiveness now?"_

_For a moment, Thorin was taken aback by the wariness and defiant hurt in his expression. Fili, who seemed to notice it as well, threw a concerned glance their way._

_Still, some things needed to be said. Thorin steeled himself and pushed through._

_"Getting yourself killed isn't going to be much of assistance, Master Baggins. It's best you realize that early on," by the end of it, his voice developed a dark growling underone he couldn't control._

_Really, what was that hobbit thinking? Going after ponies by himself, getting caught and nearly torn to pieces. To be fair, he was pretty much pushed into it by his troublesome nephews, but Thorin was going to deal with it later. One thing at a time. He was furious enough as it was._

_The burglar opened his mouth but nothing came out. Thorin felt an improper surge of satisfaction, but it didn't last long._

_"That's some fine gratitude, extremely obliged," the hobbit murmured sullenly and stormed off, throwing his nephews the last sympathetic glance and sparing no more attention for Thorin._

_Thorin let it slide, for the time being. Instead, he turned to face the lads. Fili and Kili swallowed hard and obeyed his unspoken command to follow._

And now, he was suffering from the worst case of migraine caused by the endlessly chattering hobbit in his head. Unlike the original version, Master Baggins in his head didn't lack self-assurance and had no qualms about driving him mad.

On second thought, the last part was also true for the original Baggins, but now Thorin learned to appreciate his subtlety and regretted not doing so before.

_That wasn't very good of you, Thorin. Not at all polite. Your behavior woud have offended a proper hobbit. And since it did offend me, it seems I AM in fact a proper hobbit, and that's the only consoling thought I can think of. So now I have to sit on my pony, sulk and endure your bothersome nephews. And do you know what? For all your big talk and scary expressions, they don't seem at all traumatized. Not that I thought they were, but it's still nice to know, you know._

Thorin groaned and rubbed his head. No, he didn't know. He'd lost the train of thought somewhere after the second sentence, and since these were supposed to be his own thoughts (and for some unfathomable reason weren't), he refused to understand that altogether.

Instead, he opted for throwing a grueling look at Fili and Kili who were indeed bothering the buglar, and looking unsuitably excited all the while.

Yes, he must have been too lenient with them.

_So, how do you think I like it, Thorin? Riding all day long, coming up with these ridiculous troll-distracting ideas and then enduring your temper?_

_His_ temper? Wasn't the hobbit the one who began to huff and scowl at him after his perfectly fair admonishment?

_I'd hoped you'd…_

His inner Bil… Master Baggins went silent and Thorin didn't like that one bit. Apparently, listening to his own thoughts was just as trying.

Master Baggins had hoped…

Suddenly, Thorin had to turn and look at his burglar. The burglar was wearing an open, almost happy expression. Fili and Kili were doing well, it seemed.

Dwalin gave him an interested look, and Thorin quickly turned away.

_Dwalin is quite observant, isn't he? I didn't realize at first, but his abilities might almost rival Balin's._

Thorin refused to acknowledge that with an answer. Shaking his head did nothing to mend his condition, apart from attracting unwelcomed attention from the Company. At least, the burglar was kept busy by his suddenly considerate nephews.

Occasionally, he'd mutter curses under his breath, it was nothing out of the ordinary. But too much of it would raise questions, so Thorin tried to keep that to a minimum. His inner hobbit didn't give him much help in that task, though.

Thorin scowled at his own wording. _His inner hobbit?_ Still, there was little he could do about it. And the creature's insistence seemed to increase explonentially.

_Do you know what I'm thinking about, Thorin?_

Possibly, that required an answer, but Thorin only managed an uncommital grunt.

Master Baggins didn't seem too happy about this kind of reaction, though.

_Yes, I know that you don't care, but an answer, or at least half an answer, would be nice, you know?_

Thorin uttered one more grunt and sped up his pony. Dwalin's look became even more interested, and Balin seemed to give up any hope of catching his attention.

_I don't know how you dwarves go about that, but in the Shire a nod is a customary reaction to someone speaking. Not that it's required, mind you._

At that, the hobbit went silent. At first, Thorin felt relief, but there also was some additional, heavier quality to it. He'd felt it earlier this day when he was watching Master Baggins' eyes cloud with shame and rejection. Back then, he'd refused to name them what they were, for the fear of letting go of his anger and giving a way to his fright. And guilt. He couldn't afford too much of that. Guilt was crippling and counterproductive. With Master Baggins, its negative impact seemed to double in strength, depriving him of reason and undoing him further.

Equally, he denied himself the pleasure of relishing the hobbit's smiles. Still, at times, the comfort of it was too overwhelming to deny, and just as overwhelming to experience. In an attempt to escape either, he chose to ignore the burglar completely. And now his burglar was ignoring him.

Thorin sighed and threw a sideways glance at the rest of the Company who seemed busy either with bickering or laughing.

"That should be safe enough," he thought.

* * *

That should've pretty much explained why Thorin Oakenshield was now slowly nodding at someone invisible, but since the explanation only existed in Thorin's head, the act was met with the widened eyes of the more observant members of the Company – namely, Balin, Dwalin, and, surprisingly, Ori.

Fili and Kili weren't included in the list on the basis of the fact that they have already witnessed all of that before and were now sharing the most spectacular details with the astonished Bilbo. At that point, Bilbo stopped questioning the credibility of the story and wrote it off as one of those strange days when you can't quite distinguish fantasy from reality. He was having plenty of those lately, anyway.

Balin, Dwalin and Ori, having experienced the credibility of the story first-hand, also ended up with surprisingly different opinions.

Balin who had suspected something similar one way or another was quite sympatethic of Thorin's plight and, also, very much hoped that Fili and Kili weren't doing what he thought they were doing.

Dwalin's interested look turned into a puzzled one as he struggled with the urge to rush to Thorin's side and check him for injuries. He thought Balin had already done that, but he had probably just given him a "burglar advice" instead, as he was fond of doing. As if Thorin needed those. What he needed was… His thoughts were interrupted by the eruption of laughter from Fili and Kili's direction. Those rascals. What Thorin really needed was not to be so lenient with his nephews.

Ori's reaction was similar to Dwalin's in terms of determining the cause for Thorin's troubles as physical. Was their leader ill? The thought made him so anxious that he decided to share his fear with Dori, never quite suspecting what havoc that would wreak.

* * *

"So, it was just after you stormed away and…"

Bilbo huffed indignantly, evoking a chuckle from Kili.

"That was going to be entertaining," Fili thought. Not so much after their Uncle learns of it, though.

"I didn't 'storm off', and actually excuse me… was it just before Thorin took you aside and- "

Fili felt his cheeks color slightly at the mention, and Kili was no better, lowering his eyes and fidgeting awkwardly with the reins.

The hobbit grinned, with just the right amount of self-satisfaction that his smile could go for the playfully vengeful but not quite sadistic. The next moment, his eyes softened and he cleared his throat nervously.

"It's alright. I was also to blame, so it's…"

Kili threw him a sympathetic look.

"We're sorry," he said then, and Fili couldn't agree more.

After the apologies were made, Kili resumed his tale, and judging by the sparkling lights in Bilbo's eyes, his "cheer up the burglar" strategy worked well.

"And then we noticed that Thorin was talking to someone. We thought that it was Dwalin or Balin but there was no one there," Kili said.

"So, as you understand Master Baggins, we were quite troubled by our Uncle's health," Fili added.

Even at this stage, Bilbo was clearly battiling with laughter, and they haven't even reached the most interesting part.

"Then, we caught him saying 'burglar" two times in a row, and that's when we were really confused, because if Thorin was talking to you we would have noticed."

"We mean, you are not _that _small," Kili supplied helpfully.

Bilbo made an exasperated noise, but his overall confusion and curiosity won over his indignation.

Very soon, the hobbit will need some real answers.

Fili exchanged a meaningful look with Kili. They've already taken that further than they intended in the first place.

Kili made a face at him. Fili sighed and decided to just go with it. What was the worst that could happen?

"So, we decided that Uncle has some strange condition that needed to be studied more closely."

"Yes, that was good," Fili thought. "Very subtle."

"But then we realized that Uncle was just talking with you, or rather _at_ you in his head, can you imagine that? We just couldn't at first, could we, Fili?"

Fili ran his hand through his face. Complimenting Kili, even internally, was always a potentially dangerous business.

Bilbo opened his mouth and never quite closed it. Fili sensed it was the time to salvage the situation.

"Yes, but we are sure it was only temporary, weren't we Kili? Sometimes, these things happen."

That sounded unconvincing even to his own ears, but Bilbo needed to be put together before Thorin saw him like that.

"Kind of, I guess?" Kili supplied unhelpfully, his eyes filled with mirth.

The poor, obviously overwhelmed hobbit opted for a quick nervous laugh and an astonished look, which, in Fili's opinion, was relatively fine, all things considered.

The sudden sound of commotion brought an abrupt end to their increasingly chaotic conversation. But the sight in front of them was no less chaotic.

A loudly protesting Thorin was helped down (or rather forced down) from his pony by the several obviously well-meaning dwarves, led, surprisingy, by Ori.

Fili gulped. Kili let out a startled chuckle, quickly muffled by a cough. Bilbo made a noise somewhere at the back of his throat that could only be identified as chocking.

So, their story wasn't the most spectacular thing for today, Fili realized.

"Kili is going to be upset," was his second thought.

* * *

Bilbo Baggins was confused. No, that, quite frankly, was an underestimation of the century.

In truth, he was completely and utterly baffled.

He was inclined to just brush Fili and Kili's story off as a mere Thorin prank, which actually made a lot of sense after the dressing down he'd given them in the morning.

But watching Thorin Oakenshield being separated from his pony and literally led to be… checked for injuries? Has he heard that correctly?

Bilbo's heart lept to his throat. Was Thorin injured this whole time?

At that moment, he remembered none of his hurt. All that mattered was getting a good look at him and making sure…

He didn't remember how he got off his pony but, judging by Fili's gasp and Kili's steadying arms on his shoulders, it wasn't very graceful.

"Thorin!"

The Company opened its almost protective hold, revealing a bristling Thorin.

"Well, that's nothing new," Bilbo thought wryly, while his eyes were checking for the invisible wounds.

The ruckus increased at that. Bilbo couldn't understand a word or get a word in. He threw a desperate glance at Fili and Kili, but the brothers answered with puzzled frowns.

Judging by the look of Thorin, he didn't seem all that ill. Annoyed and at the edge of wits? Definitely. But ill? Could that be a mis-

"_Quiet!_ All of you!"

Bilbo nearly jumped at the roar, but also felt a wave of relief. It seems like Thorin was definitely fine.

"To everyone concerned: I'm alright. No injuries and no "conditions". Where did that ridiculous idea even come from?"

Thorin's glare could've scared bigger men, but Bilbo refused to feel frightened. A ridiculous idea? Surely, it couldn't come out of nowhere. Could it come from Fili and Kili, though? Bilbo considered the possibility for a moment. They could definitely rewrite (or rather re-tell) it a bit, but thinking it up entirely? They were reckless, but not that reckless. Most likely, it was Thorin who was _ridiculously_ stubborn. Now, _that_ wouldn't surprise Bilbo in the slightest.

At this point, Bilbo was very much prepared to challenge Thorin's displeased look. So, he straightened up his shoulders and lifted his chin, only to realize that the look wasn't directed at him but at someone behind him. Fili and Kili specifically. Have they purposefully hidden behind him? Staring at Thorin's stormy expression, Bilbo realized that he couldn't find it in him to judge them.

"Are you really okay?"

The words came out before he could snatch them back. His shoulders lowered by themselves and he winced internally. Enduring one more explosion from Thorin Oakenshield? No, thank you very much. He'd had enough of that for one day.

Unexpectedly, Thorin's eyes softened and his whole manner seemed to relax, which only served to further startle Bilbo. What had he done _now_?

There was also a strange expression on Thorin's face. Could it be… regret?

"I am… fine. Must be tired from the ride."

Bilbo found himself nodding uncontrollably.

"Good. That's… good. Not that you're tired, of course, the other bit. The 'fine' bit. That's fine."

He was subtly aware that he sounded like a lunatic, but he couldn't seem to stop.

Thorin's face still remained uncharacteristically soft, so Bilbo decided that he might as well make the most of it while he could.

"And I'm sorry for endangering you. All of you. Getting caught by the troll definitely wasn't part of the plan. Guess I'm a poor burglar after all. And burgling from burglars… well, that's another level of experise, wouldn't you agree? All in all, can't say I didn't warn you, though," he finished unconvincingly, feeling the heat of embarrassment on his cheeks.

The Company went silent, and it was one of those cases when silence bothered Bilbo just as much as excessive noise.

Thorin was watching him intently, and he very much doubted it could get more awkward. The next moment seemed rather gleeful in proving him wrong.

* * *

Thorin was watching his burglar blush and fidget, and that wasn't an unpleasant sight. Far from it.

In any case, it was more pleasant than listening to the ridiculous mutterings and gasps of the suddenly concerned dwarves that seemed to have a violent attack of madness. At least, he could offer no other explanation for it.

From some of them, such displays of behavior were hardly surprising. But Dwalin? He had no memory of Dwalin ever indulging in something like that. But judging by the vague smile on Balin's face, could he be behind all that? No. Not him. Fili and Kili, though? That was very much a possibility, which was being proven accurate as they chose to hide behind the hobbit in hopes of averting his attention.

Grudgingly, Thorin had to admit that it was working.

His burglar apologized, with the usual dose of amusing impertinence no less, and was now awaiting his reaction.

Once again, it was blissfully silent in his head, but now that silence wasn't empty. It was normal. It was right.

"Repeating your words, it is fine. You're an asset to the Company, Master Baggins. Never doubt that."

The hobbit looked at him in mild disbelief, and for a moment Thorin thought that he'd have to repeat that again. But then the face in front of him relaxed into a tentative smile, lighting up the blue eyes.

His burglar seemed satisfied for the time being. Thorin had no illusions as to the amount of dangers and misunderstandings they were yet to face, but the idea of a journey without Master Baggins seemed no longer possible, or wanted, for that matter.

Later that night, Thorin found out that silence in one's head could also mean loneliness. Without giving it too much thought, he sought out the tired, but clearly settled Master Baggins.

"I hope you're content?"

Once again, he was rewarded with a smile and, after a few words of convincing (which Thorin never knew he possessed), a surprisingly entertaining account of the Shire.

"Are you not bored?"

Apparently, reassurance was a must with hobbits, and, to Thorin's mild surprise, he didn't mind that one bit.

"You tell a fine tale. Am I proving to be a grateful listener?"

It was quite dark, but Thorin was fairly certain that Bilbo's eyes widened at his words. At the very least, he could no longer keep his hands still, and that, as Thorin was learning, meant excessive excitement.

"Quite so, Thorin Oakenshield."

With an addition of an amused chuckle, it didn't sound quite as pompous as it was meant to be, but it was still greatly entertaining.

As the night closed in on them, Thorin could no longer distinguish his voice from Bilbo's. In his head, they sounded as one.


End file.
